A Bit of What You Fancy Does You Good

It’s Sausage Saturday which means there’ll be a (Nathan Lane) movie with an intermission with ice cream. Tonight: Gooey Butter Cake ice cream. “Cream cheese ice cream layered with crumbles of vanilla cake and a swirl of caramel-butterscotch sauce.” Dubious nutritional value. Perfect.

Categorized as Eat

Grease for Peace

My friend figured out Band Box Diner is only open Wednesday through Saturday, so today was the day, in the words of the establishment’s slogan, to “Grease for Peace.” The counter seats were occupied by regulars, so we observed the scene from a table. Breakfast was good and substantial.

Unwinding with Umami

Thursdays are our service days: Dwight in a university greenhouse, me in ELL classrooms. This leaves us with little energy for cooking, so we typically have dinner out. Tonight: our local Izakaya (Japanese bar/restaurant).

Indulging Without Regret

Sandwiched a few moments of zen sitting at the counter of Al’s Diner in Dinkytown between full body scans at the university. Surprisingly, clogged arteries aren’t on my healthcare problem list.

Categorized as Eat, Health

A Vehicle for Heavy Cream

Today, I tentatively reintroduced lactose to my diet. Tomorrow morning, I’ll pour heavy cream over my oatmeal, along with the usual maple syrup. Note the ready time: I’ve become a morning person in my senior years.

Lunch

Lightly sea-salted crisps for Dwight, sweet chili and red pepper crisps for me, washed down with 20-fluid-ounce beers. Earlier we had full English breakfasts. The rose is real.

Zen Box Izakaya

Walked over to our local izakaya, a Japanese bar that also serves food. They had emailed me a $5 discount for my birthday, but I didn’t need an incentive.

Shortcut to Donuts

Knowing great donuts awaited us on the other side was a strong incentive to seek out this “secret” passageway in the Minneapolis North Loop.

A Favorite Spot for Breakfast

Paused for cooked-to-order breakfast sandwiches beside Lake Harriet. Nearby, mothers relaxed with their young kids, and a four-person book club sometimes discussed the book.

A Fruit So Smelly, It’s Not Returnable

On a walk with a friend, cooled off in a large Asian supermarket. Noted the nonreturnable durian. “Its odor is best described as pig-excrement, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock.” (Wikipedia.) Left with a bag of matcha Japanese Kit Kats.